This invention relates generally to cooling systems for cooling factories, industrial plants and the like. More particularly, it relates to a cooling system which facilitates a cooling of liquid therein on a more efficient and economical basis.
More specifically, the invention pertains to new and novel improvements in systems and apparatus for cooling a heated fluid circulating therein, which results from the heat dissipated in manufacturing processes and equipments, in chemical processes, and in other industrial machines and devices. As is generally known, cooling systems, particularly in industrial applications, are very expensive in their construction and operation, and require continual maintenance. Some of the reasons for this is that the water consumption and power requirements in such cooling systems are extremely high. Another contributing factor to the high cost of such systems results from the large amount of labor and time needed to install such devices into industrial plants. Many of the prior art cooling systems also require relatively large areas within a plant thus reducing the usable production space to decrease productivity or increasing the overall size of a given industrial building.
Heretofore, one common cooling system in the industrial environment utilizes a cooling tower mounted on top of the roof of the factory or plant. This prior art cooling system suffers from the disadvantage in that it requires additional structure and reinforcement of the roof to support the heavy water tower. In addition, this system requires a large sump tank or reservoir coupled to the water tower in order to store a large quantity of water needed for cooling.
Such types of prior art cooling systems require a large primary tank utilized for storing and circulating the cooling fluid which must be built and assembled inside of the industrial plant and which occupies an undesirably and uneconomically large amount of interior space of the plant. Additionally, the primary tank generally includes an open or uncovered top wherein the cooling fluid is susceptible to contamination by dirt, debris, and other foreign particles from the surrounding environment or air.
Another disadvantage is due to the fact that the installation of many prior art cooling systems require a large amount of time and thereby increasing the labor costs. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a cooling system for industrial applications which reduce the complexity and cost of installation and operation of such devices and reduces the size of such equipment with improved effectiveness of cooling.